Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 7: Political violence intensified witnessing bloody escalation in West Bengal just days before the new government is installed in office in the state with the murder of the top BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath and explosion of multiple crude bombs in the Shibpur slum clusters in Howrah causing chaos and injuries among residents on Thursday.
According to preliminary reports, 41-year-old Rath was attacked near Doltala in Madhyamgram around 10.30 pm on Wednesday about 200 metres from his residence. Motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly tailed his vehicle, forced it to stop and opened fire before fleeing the scene. Eyewitnesses said the SUV carrying Rath was first intercepted near Doharia junction by a small four-wheeler. Soon after, a motorcycle rider approached the vehicle and fired multiple rounds from close range. The occupants of the four-wheeler later abandoned the vehicle and escaped on the motorcycle.
Another eyewitness to the killing of Chandra claimed the attackers fired at point-blank range and said the assault appeared to have been carefully planned in advance. Four rounds were fired at the vehicle, out of which two hit Rath from point-blank range. Police and forensic teams have collected samples from the crime scene and the White Scorpio in which Rath was travelling and was shot at. Police have also seized a smaller car carrying false number plate which was used to block Chandranath Rath’s vehicle from the front before he was shot dead by the assailants.
Rath, who served as the executive assistant to the leader of opposition in the state assembly, was returning home to Madhyamgram when the attack occurred. Doctors at the hospital where he was taken declared him dead on arrival. A doctor who attended Rath said he was brought dead with two bullet injuries on his chest, which pierced his heart, while another bullet struck his abdominal area. “There was no opportunity to resuscitate him,” the doctor said.
Rath’s driver, who was also injured in the firing, was shifted to a Kolkata hospital in critical condition. Television footage from the scene showed the SUV’s front windshield shattered by bullets, blood stains inside the vehicle and heavy police deployment in the area amid rising tension.
The incident quickly turned into a political flashpoint, with BJP leaders alleging that the murder was politically motivated and accusing the TMC leadership of encouraging violence after the election results. Suvendu Adhikari reached the hospital around midnight, described the killing as “heart-wrenching” and claimed the attackers had carried out prior recce before executing the attack. He also called it a “cold-blooded and premeditated” murder.
The police have begun a large-scale search for the attackers, although no major breakthrough has been reported so far. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has now been constituted to probe the killing. According to officials, the team will be headed by an Inspector General (IG)-level officer. Police personnel from various districts and specialised units will be part of this SIT, they said. The team will examine every layer of the case and attempt to uncover any conspiracy behind the attack, officials added.
Police sources also confirmed that several suspects are currently in custody. However, the main shooters are still absconding. Three local history-sheeters are being questioned to determine whether they assisted in the execution of the crime.
The killing came less than 48 hours after the declaration of the fiercely contested assembly poll results and sent shockwaves through Bengal’s political circles. While the BJP accused the TMC of unleashing retaliatory violence, the Mamata Banerjee-led party countered with claims that its own workers were being attacked in several districts. Notably, Suvendu Adhikari defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her Bhabanipur bastion seat by a margin of over 15,000 votes, unseating her as an MLA.
Earlier on Thursday, BJP supporters staged a road blockade in Paschim Medinipur district, protesting the murder of Rath. The situation in Madhyamgram remained tense but peaceful, with senior BJP leaders present at the spot while police and central forces kept vigil. At Salboni in Paschim Medinipur, around 200 BJP activists and supporters blocked an arterial road with burning tyres and raised slogans alleging a conspiracy by the TMC behind Rath’s killing ahead of the swearing-in of the new government.
Senior officials, including personnel from local police units, visited the site as part of the ongoing investigation. BSF DG himself visited the spot and sought details of the incident from the police. The motive behind the attack was to destabilise Bengal by creating unrest. The victim’s mother alleged Rath was killed due to dismay in TMC after Mamata Banerjee lost to Suvendu Adhikari in Bhabanipur in West Bengal Assembly Election 2026.
Authorities confirmed that statements from residents and security staff of the housing society are being recorded. Residents of the society confirmed that Chandranath Rath had been living in Apartment 205 of the Orchid Society complex.
Speaking to reporters hours after Rath was shot dead, Adhikari alleged that a recce was conducted by the assailants before carrying out the attack. He also appealed to party workers not to take the law into their own hands. “We are grieving and are at lack of words for condemning this incident. Our entire leadership from Delhi has taken information about this. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar talked to the family (of the deceased) and the police,” Adhikari said.
“The police have found some evidence and they will investigate,” he said, adding that he had spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president Nitin Nabin regarding the killing. “This is the result of 15 years of Maha Jungle Raj… BJP will start the cleansing work of the goons here.”
Although Adhikari avoided blaming any organisation for the incident, many leaders of his party have blamed the TMC. BJP leader Arjun Singh claimed that the murder was orchestrated by Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, with an intention to send a message to public that even if they are not in power, they remain a force to be reckoned with.
BJP leader Agnimitra Paul also linked the attack to the TMC and said it was a result of Banerjee’s defeat in Bhabanipur. She said CCTV footage was being examined, assuring the victim’s family that appropriate action would be taken.
The Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar – who was accompanying Adhikari – said all such incidents will be stopped once the BJP government assumes power. “The DGP has informed us that significant progress has been made in the investigation. No one will be spared. Everyone will be brought to justice through the legal process,” he said.
The TMC, on the other hand, has refuted the charges and condemned the killing of Rath. In a statement on X, the party also demanded a court-monitored CBI investigation. It further said violence and political killings have no place in a democracy. “We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram tonight, along with the killing of three other TMC workers in incidents of post-poll violence allegedly carried out by BJP-backed miscreants over the last three days, despite the Model Code of Conduct being in force,” the party said.
The 41-year old Rath who originally hailed from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, the political turf that shaped Adhikari’s rise in Bengal politics, had travelled an unusual path — from serving in the Indian Air Force to becoming one of the opposition leader’s most trusted political associates.
Soft-spoken and low-profile, he remained largely away from public attention despite being part of Adhikari’s inner circle for years. Before entering active political organisational work, Rath had spent nearly two decades in the Indian Air Force after completing his studies at Rahara Ramakrishna Mission. People close to the family said he had once considered a spiritual life and was deeply influenced by the Ramakrishna Mission ethos during his student years.
After taking voluntary retirement from the air force, he briefly worked in the corporate sector before gradually moving into political coordination and administrative responsibilities. His family, like Adhikari’s, had earlier been associated with the Trinamool Congress.
His mother Hasi Rath had held a position in a local panchayat body in Purba Medinipur during the TMC years before shifting allegiance to the BJP along with Adhikari in 2020. Family acquaintances said the connection between the Rath family and Adhikari went back more than two decades to the early years of the TMC’s expansion in Purba Medinipur.
Rath formally became part of Adhikari’s official team around 2019, when the latter was serving as a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government. He initially handled responsibilities linked to Adhikari’s ministerial office and later continued in a similar role after Adhikari crossed over to the saffron camp.
Over the years, Rath emerged as a key backroom figure in Adhikari’s political operations, coordinating organisational work, managing logistics and maintaining communication with party workers. BJP insiders described him as someone who enjoyed Adhikari’s complete confidence and was often involved in sensitive assignments linked to campaign management and political coordination.
He was also part of the core team during several high-voltage political battles, including the BJP’s Bhabanipur campaign. Within sections of the BJP organisation, there had even been speculation that Rath could be entrusted with a larger administrative responsibility if Adhikari assumed a bigger role in government after the assembly polls.
In another incident, tension gripped the Shibpur slum clusters in Howrah after multiple crude bombs exploded, causing chaos and injuries among residents on Thursday. Eyewitnesses reported bricks flying through the air as the blasts sent people running for cover. The situation turned volatile enough for the police to rush to the spot in large numbers, backed by Rapid Action Force personnel to restore calm.
According to initial information, BJP Minority Cell leader Manoj Khan was the target of a bomb attack. Some miscreants also allegedly attempted to vandalise nearby shops during the chaos. Several people were injured in the violent flare-up, adding to the fear that had already spread across the neighbourhood.
The BJP accused the Trinamool Congress of orchestrating the attacks, escalating political tensions in the region. Local residents claimed that nearly seven crude bombs were detonated during the incident and that at least two rounds of gunshots were fired. Police teams are investigating the claims while maintaining tight vigil in the area, as per officials.
Several incidents of violence have continued to emerge across West Bengal following the announcement of the Assembly election results on May 4. The BJP has accused the TMC of fostering a “mafia culture” and “maha jungle raj” in the state following the incidents of violence after the election results. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that post-poll violence has been “institutionalised” in West Bengal over the last 15 years and claimed BJP workers and leaders were targeted whenever the TMC suffers electoral setbacks.